Chapter 602 Prayer of Riddles
Tivyán, East District.
During the day, the bustling East District’s Silver Street was as lively as ever, with people coming and going. Near an inconspicuous alley next to Silver Street, there was a department store that few visited. Inside this store, a secret exchange was taking place at that moment.
Behind the storefront, in a hidden but well-decorated dim room, Gregor, dressed formally, was sitting on a comfortable leather sofa, smoking a cigarette while looking at a document in his hand. After a while, he frowned and said:
“This… makes me more attentive to the captains of the An Yin Bureau, to see if they have shown any signs similar to Misha Devenhill?”
“Yes, just like Miss Devenhill, who is obsessed with the organization’s lair, determined to pursue the truth, even willing to defy their superiors. The situation might not be as severe as Miss Devenhill’s case, but if there are clear signs, we need to report them to the lair,” Donald, standing beside Gregor and the owner of the department store, added. Gregor put down the document after hearing Donald’s words and started pondering while continuing to smoke.
“The lair wants me to investigate whether there are still black dogs like Misha, conducting independent investigations within the An Yin Bureau without the bureau knowing,” Gregor said slowly to Donald, who nodded in confirmation.
“Exactly, we need to know if there are others disobeying orders and secretly acting alone, especially those captains,” Donald continued. Gregor paused for a moment before answering:
“In fact, since the An Yin Bureau received the order to no longer fully investigate the lair and shift the focus of their investigations elsewhere, many black dogs have been discontented. Among them, Misha stood out the most. Now, there is a lot of private discussion about these black dogs within the bureau, especially after Misha’s d*ath was labeled as a simple accident. Many people are dissatisfied with their current superiors, believing that Misha’s d*ath had other underlying reasons.
“If anyone in the An Yin Bureau is conducting independent investigations privately now, there would be many suspects. If I were to list them, it would be quite a long list.”
Gregor responded calmly. Hearing this, Donald paused briefly and then continued:
“So, should we investigate which members of the An Yin Bureau were closely associated with Misha Devenhill and if there was any possibility of exchanging information?”
“I can try to look into that, but with my current identity, accessing the true information, especially details about the captains, is not easy,” Gregor replied to Donald’s request. Hearing this, Donald immediately spoke up:
“Don’t worry about your identity. Mr. Adeline, you are considered a significant contributor for solving Misha’s d*ath. The lair has already used its influence to promote you, so you will likely receive a promotion soon. At that time, you will become a captain of the Chalk, naturally gaining access to more information. You should approach the other captains one by one as colleagues, figuring out if they have their own agendas.
“If necessary, you could pretend to be dissatisfied with your superiors, like Misha did, and secretly conduct investigations against us to gain their trust.”
Donald continued seriously to Gregor. After listening to Donald’s words, Gregor thought for a moment while smoking. After a while, he nodded silently:
“I can try… but to ensure effectiveness, I need to reach a higher position. Please tell the lair to guarantee my promotion soon.”
“Of course,” Donald said with a smile. Then, in the dim secret room, he and Gregor continued discussing other intelligence matters.
…
During the day, in another part of East Tivyán, inside a seemingly ordinary building, in a well-lit living room, the elderly John MacGillison was wearing a bathrobe and sitting in an armchair, using thick glasses to look at a familiar man standing in front of the sofa. This man called himself a detective and had once saved him.
“These are the things we found in Ampel Devenhill’s grave. Can you decipher the writing?” Ed, wearing a trench coat and a small hat, stood in front of John and handed him a silver pendant from his clothes. John reached out to take it, glanced at it, and then looked at Ed with a sigh.
“You found Ampel’s grave so quickly and brought something out. That’s truly incredible…”
“We have connections with the Devenhill family. We have corresponding channels. Don’t ask too much. Just look at that pendant,” Ed directly told John. After hearing this, John nodded and began carefully examining the pendant. He first touched the shield emblem on the front and slowly said:
“This is the emblem of the Four Riders of the Moon Guard. It was made by the Ancients during the Wind King’s Rebellion based on relics found in the Night Sky Empress’s ruins. Throughout the war, it was the unified symbol used by the Ancients. Essentially, it is an imitation. Perhaps they themselves don’t know what this emblem truly represents… I never expected Ampel, the biggest traitor among the Ancients, to be buried with such an item…”
Looking at the shield emblem on the pendant, John muttered, then didn’t continue observing the rest immediately but cautiously touched other parts. Finally, he felt a peculiar sensation around the edge behind the emblem.
“The inscription is on the back. Prepare a set of antidote equipment for me, the best level possible. This way, I’ll spend less time.”
Using the techniques of an extraordinary archaeologist, John said while touching the back of the pendant. In response, Ed calmly said:
“No need for typical antidote defense equipment. I have a Honorable Name here. Recite the prayer, and then you can safely interpret the inscription.”
“Honorable Name?” Listening to Ed, John raised his head curiously and looked at Ed. Then Ed continued with a mysterious smile:
Afterward, Ed revealed the mysterious Honorable Name to John. John listened intently, furrowed his brows in deep thought, but couldn’t figure anything out.
“Recorder of all… Akasha? Is this the divine existence you worship? I’ve read many hidden history books, but I’ve never heard this name. What kind of divine existence is this?” With a puzzled expression, John asked Ed, who simply responded:
“You don’t need to ask too many details. For the existence pointed to by this Honorable Name, just believe it. I have no reason to harm you, Professor John.”
Ed said to John, who, after hearing this, thought for a moment. Finding no reason for Ed to be plotting against him given his current circumstances, he believed Ed’s words and silently repeated the mysterious and unfamiliar Honorable Name.
After finishing, John took a deep breath, covering most of the inscription behind the pendant with his hand, then slowly flipped it over, bringing the inscription into view. John squinted and scanned the inscription, confirming its content before slightly widening his eyes, touching his forehead, checking his condition, and then turning to Ed with a strange expression.
“It’s truly amazing… reading this encrypted text really has no effect. Is Akasha really protecting me? Is some divine existence watching me now?”
With a hint of fear in his voice, John said, and Ed reassured him:
“Don’t panic, Professor John. Praying to Akasha and receiving protection doesn’t mean Akasha is specifically watching you. Akasha shares part of its power selflessly with its followers. You are just experiencing a bit of contact with this shared power. Besides providing you with protection, there are no other effects. You should continue to focus on interpreting the text.”
“Shared… part of the power? Truly amazing. Is there really such a divine existence in the world?” John muttered in disbelief, then calmed himself and focused back on the pendant. He continued interpreting.
Since he confirmed the existence of antidote protection, John began to freely read the full inscription on the back of the pendant. After releasing his hand, his gaze carefully examined the back.
Finally, after a while, John spoke again.
“The language on this pendant is ancient Prit, reconstructed by scholars during the Wind King’s Rebellion. It was primarily used by scholars and priests of the Ancients. Its circulation was not high.”
“What does it say?” Ed continued asking John, who adjusted his glasses and continued:
“It’s a prayer.”
“A prayer?”
“Yes… a short prayer…” John responded, then paused for a moment and began reciting emotionally:
“The mirror of Glahomir reflects the divine realm of the night sky, which is also the door to the sanctuary. From the silver dome, peek through the mirror, and the doors open one by one. Hold the black key, cross the mirror surface.
“The servants of the night pass through four doors in the mirror, preparing the rites of the night. The Patriarch passes through the shadowless door; the Priestess through the scythe door; the Knight through the longbow door; the Scribe through the bounty door; finally, the Jade Wheel door rises without a key, and the sanctuary appears from within, shifting between inside and outside. Any follower of the night can pass through illusions and gather for the rites.”
Sitting in his seat, John silently recited the inscription on the pendant. Listening to John’s words, Ed’s brow furrowed slightly, then he slowly said:
“These are… prayers? They feel more like riddles.”
“They can be seen as both riddles and prayers. In my understanding, this is a process of a ritual performed by the Night Sky Empress’s sect in the past. The entire process was deliberately obscured into prayer-like sentences to highlight the solemn and mysterious nature of the ritual. This phenomenon can be observed in many sects, including the Radiant Church.”
Continuing to examine the pendant, John said, and Ed pressed further:
“So, can you interpret anything from this prayer?”
“Most of it cannot be interpreted, only a little… at the beginning.
“Glahomir mentioned here should refer to the capital of Hand County, Gramorn. Its ancient name was Glahomir. The sanctuary mentioned should refer to the temple of the Night Sky Empress discovered by Ampel. As for titles like Patriarch, Priestess, and Scribe, they refer to the ranks of religious officials in the Night Sky Empress’s church in the past. According to my previous research, the Patriarch held a very high status in the Night Sky Empress’s church, similar to the Archbishop of the Radiant Church.
“These are all the contents I can interpret from this prayer. The rest, such as the rites of the night, the doors in the mirror, and obsidian, I have never seen before.”
John slowly recounted everything he could interpret to Ed. Using Ed’s perception, Dorothy, far away, couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
“Patriarch… Priestess… Scribe… So the sect of the Mirror Moon Goddess used such religious titles in the past? It feels somewhat similar to the Radiant Church now. Are there any connections between them?
“Also, this Hand County… If I remember correctly, it’s located southwest of the main island of Prit, right next to my hometown, Igwen County. These two places are adjacent. Goodness, if I go there this time, can I visit my hometown as well?”
Dorothy thought, recalling her childhood memories in this body. Dorothy couldn’t help feeling a sense of nostalgia for Igwen County.
“However, if I really want to go home, it will have to wait until the matter of the temple is resolved. Although most of this riddle-like prayer is still unclear, the parts that have been interpreted do point me in a direction. At least, I can confirm that the temple of the Mirror Moon Goddess discovered by Ampel is in Gramorn, though the exact location is unknown. I can search for it once I get there, just like when I went to Adis last time.
“Now, it seems that the Eight-pointed side has also obtained this prayer. There’s no reason for them to be unaware of the history of the Wind King’s Rebellion. After deciphering the term Gramorn, they must have started heading there. I must act immediately.”
Dorothy thought to herself, and finally, she manipulated Ed from afar, making him speak to John:
“Thank you for your help, Professor John. Your interpretation has been very helpful to us. Now, we should go where we need to go. Please take good care of yourself here. If needed, we will come to consult you again. Once the fog over Tivyán clears, you can return to normal life.”
After saying this, Ed retrieved Ampel’s pendant and bowed to John before walking to the door and leaving the room. For a moment, the comfortable room was left with John still sitting in the armchair, contemplating the contents he had just witnessed, and sighed:
“Is that divine existence named Akasha also watching the moon’s reflection in the night sky? I wonder what the final outcome will be…”
